Page 11 of Pack Down Bad

I feel guilty, too. Knox should be comfortable in his own home... It’s just that even if I knew where I’msupposedto be right now, I wouldn’t know how to get there in this weather with my car left wrecked in a ditch. Knowing I’m scent-matched to his pack also makes me worry. Once he’s not forced to live with me instantly, will he give me a chance? If my scent-matched pack doesn’t want me, I’ll be heartbroken.

My chest already aches at the prospect.

“This is bullshit,” Knox announces. The first words I’ve heard from him, and they make the aching feeling creep up my throat.

“Knox...” Rhys gives him a pleading look.

Knox shakes his head and storms away, toward the front door that he yanks open so hard I’m surprised he doesn’t pull the door completely off of the hinges. He walks out, slamming the door behind him and disappearing out into the night.

What are the odds I would crash my car and just so happen to be rescued by a scent-match? Based on Knox’s reactions, I think fate must be playing a cruel joke on me if she brought me my scent-match only to deny me the pleasure of joining their pack.

I don’t think I should get too comfortable here.

“Will he be okay?” I ask quietly, nervously nibbling at my bottom lip.

“He’ll be fine,” Percy reassures me.

“Knox is just complicated.” Rhys offers me a hand to help me up from the couch. “Everyone will feel better after a snack and a good night’s sleep.”

ChapterSeven

Belle

“This really isn’t necessary...” The spread on the table looks more appropriate for a mid-sized house party than snacks for one person, and Percy keeps adding more.

He raises an eyebrow at me as he scoots a container of blueberries in between a dish of trail mix and a cheese plate. I ate a few crackers with cheese when I first sat down, but twenty minutes later, the options are still growing, and I’m entirely too overwhelmed to even choose what to eat next.

“In hindsight, I may have gone a little overboard,” Percy admits as he steps back and surveys the mini-feast he’s set up in lieu of a normal bedtime snack.

“Maybe a little.”

I’m flattered by his dedication to feeding me, even if I’m not all that hungry right now. I reach for a handful of blueberries and pop one into my mouth, moaning slightly when I bite down and the fresh fruit explodes in my mouth.

Percy sputters out an uncomfortable cough.

My eyes fly open, and I ask, “Are you okay?”

“Uh-huh.” His gaze is completely zeroed in on me as he takes the seat across from me.

I shrug off my concern and reach for the salted cashews in the dish closest to me, startling when the front door jerks open and Knox stomps in with Rhys cheerfully following behind him. They both have arms full of groceries.

“I’m not sure why you couldn’t have brought all of this in yourself,” Knox grumbles. “You’re the one who was adamant about going to the grocery early despite having enough food to last another week or two.”

Rhys grins over at me and winks. “Aren’t you glad I went ahead and stocked up now that we have an extra mouth to feed, though?”

I fight off the urge to blush, dropping my gaze to pretend to examine the nuts in my hand. I don’t want Rhys to know how giddy I feel that he’s in no rush to hurry me out of their house. Maybe I’m getting caught up in wishful thinking, but I know we all recognize the scent-match lingering in the air even if we aren’t talking about it directly.

Knox grumbles a non-answer, and that deflates some of my excitement. Even if we all feel the scent-match, I guess we aren’t all equally excited about the possibilities. Knox doesn’t seem very happy that I’m here. If he were the one to find me on the side of the road rather than Rhys, I have a feeling I wouldn’t be here right now.

“Hey.” Percy nudges my leg with his foot under the table. “Don’t mind him.”

I nod absently. Percy and Rhys don’t seem nearly as concerned about Knox’s disdain for me as I am.

That’s odd.

Choosing an omega isn’t just up to one or two of them. All of them have to agree. So even if I am their scent match, if Knox doesn’t like me, none of them will keep me.

“Can you tell me what kind of music you like?” Percy draws my focus back to him.

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